The connector is a power transmitting (or blocking) device that is provided to transmit (or block) a rotational force generated from a driving part to (or from) a constant velocity joint connected to the wheels.
The recent trend of the automobile development shows increased emphasis on the importance of the fuel efficiency, and accordingly, the concept of design is shifting toward the way of suppressing waste of power as much as possible and increasing the efficiency of the mechanical system. Among these, a power blocking and connecting disconnector is provided to prevent unnecessary waste of torque.
One example for this can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,469,854 as illustrated in FIG. 11.
In this example, a fork-sleeve structure and compact motor and decelerator are applied, as usually applied in a manual transmission.
The power generated from the compact motor 82 is passed through the transmission gear and rotates the shaft 84 such that the fork connecting member 86 and the fork 78 are moved by a feed screw present in the shaft and accordingly, the sleeve 74 connected thereto is also moved. Accordingly, when the input axis and the output axis having gear teeth in the circumferential direction reach a predetermined relative velocity difference, connection is made and the power is transmitted. Blocking the power is implemented as the compact motor 82 is rotated in the opposite direction such that operations are performed in a reverse order.
Meanwhile, it takes lengthy time for the compact motor 82 to reach desired torque and RPM. Further, because many connecting parts are involved, severe play and noise occur, the power transmission efficiency is deteriorated, and durability is also deteriorated. The applications in hybrid electrical vehicle (HEV)/electrical vehicle (EV) may especially suffer many problems as they particularly need a higher frequency of operating the disconnector.